Carefree
by 454647675
Summary: Amidst the physical and emotional stress of a war, the four teens find a way to spend their time. Ginny and Harry find themselves in a compromising position and remembers the joy of childhood. [Set Post OotP ignoring HBP]Thanks to LadyTonks for reminding


Carefree by aprilmoon92

**Summary:** Amidst the physical and emotional stress of a war, the four teens find a way to spend their time. Ginny and Harry find themselves in a compromising position and remembers the joy of childhood. Set Post OotP ignoring HBP  
Thanks to LadyTonks for reminding me that fanfic is about the joy of writing.  
**Rating:** PG ￹FPRIVATE "TYPEPICT;ALTstar"  
**Categories:** Post-OotP  
**Characters:** None  
**Genres:** None  
**Warnings:** None  
**Challenges:** None  
**Series:** None  
**Published: **2006.06.01  
**Updated: **2006.06.02 

Carefree by aprilmoon92

Chapter 1: Carefree**Author's Notes:**

**Disclaimer: This is JKR's world, I'm just messing in it.**  
_A/N: I just finished writing my Dear Diary series, which really drained me, especially since I was rushing to finish it before I went to Europe for a learning journey... Also, spent the whole day reacquainting me with the joys of fanfic, and got the idea to write a nice 2000 word or so one-off. Couldn't bear to write misery again so I think I'll stick to some innocent joy. I've tortured myself and Ginny too long; thanks a lot to LadyTonks for her excellent reviver-stories and for reminding me that fanfic really is just about having fun. Enjoy :)_

The Burrow was a picture-perfect winter cottage, the red roof caked with an obscenely white layer of snow, the surrounding woods and Quidditch field quiet and clear. A merry puff of smoke rose from the physically-impossible chimney and the simple glass windows were decked with beautiful frost crystals. Alone in the kitchen, Molly Weasley sat down to plan her Christmas Eve dinner, a feat that she had not been able to do in the in the past months due to the threat of a Death Eater attack dangling above everyone's heads. Nothing would disturb her today, the trio and Ginny were upstairs talking, the twins, Charlie, Bill and Arthur were in Diagon Alley doing their last minute Christmas shopping, and Molly had ordered that no one disturb her in the kitchen that day. Today, the wards were up, the guards were there, and nothing would go wrong. Christmas was a tiny island in a sea of grief for everyone, and Molly was desperate to wring all she could out of it.

Standing up after several furious minutes of self-debate, she began to gather the ingredients and with a flick of her wand, got into her element. This was what she lived for, well... that wasn't true anymore, but she would give a lot to make it so. A pan full of stuffing arced gracefully above her head, landing carefully in the oven below the turkey; a dozen bottles of butterbeer uncorked themselves and tipped their contents into the lucky pan which would soon hold her Christmas pudding. With a complex wiggle, she set a basket of potatoes peeling, chopping and finally mashing each other. With another deep breath, Molly started on another aspect of what would soon blossom into a full ten-course meal, barely registering the loud patter announcing someone coming down the stairs. She turned her head and lifted her eyebrow quizzically at her only daughter as her hands continued to orchestrate the meal.

"Mom, Harry and I are going outside for a snowball fight-- we'll be back by five." Ginny announced gleefully, a scheming smile plastering her face. Even as she nodded absently and returned to her work, Molly was secretly glad that her little girl was still trying to drag Harry from his stupor over Sirius' death. She sighed softly as she watched the two teenagers dash out of her domain and into the frosty field outside, soon to be lost in the innocent play which had been cruelly stolen the moment the war had reignited itself. With a second regretful sigh, she returned to her work, determined to wipe their minds of the war for just one night. 

Ginny grinned cheekily at Harry as she raced him to the Quidditch pitch. A sense of child-like exhilaration consumed her as the fresh snow-tinged air filled her lungs, the wind tossed her hair gaily and the ice crunched merrily beneath her shoes. The simple joy of running intoxicated her with the energy of it, the feel of the long-disused muscles in her calves bringing the life back to her; the frost in the air as she exhaled; the unadulterated happiness she felt just to be acting like a child once more.

The Quidditch field was only a few dozen feet away now, she pushed her legs as fast as they could go, yet she tried in vain as she watched the blur that was Harry speed past in the corner of her eye. His eyes were wide with the exertion, his well-sculpted body gracefully swinging in coordinated strokes as he reached their destination. He turned and watched with his emerald eyes as Ginny caught up, only moments behind him, and they enjoyed a few moments of companiable silence as each tried to regain his breath. A part of Ginny whined pitifully as she observed his pale cheeks tinged with a soft blush from the run, his hair slightly more disheveled than always; how she longed to softly caress the boy of her dreams. As the exhilaration wore off however, the look of detachment returned to his eyes, and Ginny knew his mind had turned once more to the subject she had been trying to avoid. Like her mother, she wanted Harry out of his depression, and she was willing to be the one to drag him out of it, even if he had to go kicking and biting.

Sending him a coy smile, she remembered not to overdo it-- their shared experience in the ministry had brought them closer together, but by no means had it meant that he was hers already. Nimbly she danced behind a nearby oak and began scooping the pristine snow into a compact round ball. Peeking out past the side of the tree, she saw Harry doing the same. Ginny smiled inwardly as she watched the pleasure of this childhood experience wash the grief from his mind, if only temporarily. She crept slowly away from her hiding place as he occupied himself forming a snowball, slinking along the tree-line to a willow several yards away. With grunt of contentment, Harry straightened, his amateur creation cradled in his gloved hand. _Well... time to take advantage of his gentlemanly ways..._ Ginny mused as the other teen walked slowly to what he imagined to be her cover. Deciding her course of action quickly, Ginny tensed her legs and waited for the right moment.

There! She leapt out from behind the willow, a war cry on her lips and her arm swung back in anticipation of the toss. As the snowball flew threw the air, Ginny grinned, impatient to see the look on his face as he was hit. 

_Bamph!_ There was a crimson flash of light and her snowball dripped miserably onto the ground. Ginny stopped abruptly and crossed her arms in a classic pout, giving him a reprimanding look as he grinned evilly. 

"No wands, Potter!" she cried, dodging the soggy mass he hurled at her, she leapt across the clearing and past him gracefully, not pausing as she teased, "You're going to have to do better than that, Harry-- or shall we just change your name to The Boy Who Can't Throw A Decent Snowball?" Laughing, she scooped up another handful of snow and the battle was joined. Ginny ducked and hid as Harry's snowballs progressively became better, lobbing one or two of her own well-placed ones in-between his shots. The trees shook with the volleys and more than once the teens were forced to jump out of cover to avoid the massive waves of snow they would dump on the unsuspecting warriors. As her gloves and shoes begun to get soaked with the melting snow, Ginny shivered in the cold, standing still for a moment too long as she heard the tell-tale whoosh of the flying ice.

With a painful 'crunch', the compacted ice smashed into Ginny's jaw, knocking her back a foot or two. The ice stung her face, but Ginny grimaced more at the indignity of being hit than any pain she felt. Narrowing her eyes, she glared at a concerned-looking Harry. _I just love it when he looks like that... so caring, so concerned over me... snap out of it, Ginny!_ she mentally shook herself. _Time to end it._

With a gleeful smile, Ginny half-turned as if dodging back into the trees, then suddenly stooped and gather handfuls of snow in both her hands. Spinning around once more, Ginny took aim and lobbed, quickly returning to ground-level for more... 

"Argh!" Harry shouted as the hail of snowballs rained down on him. The balls of ice pummeled his back and hands as he shielded his face from the surprise assault. Quickly deciding that he would not be able to match her in frontal combat, Harry turned-tail and fled into the tree line, arms over his head as the barrage of snowballs kept pace with him. Seeing the welcome shelter of a pine tree just a few meters ahead, Harry hunkered down and sprinted for cover. Skidding around the thick trunk of the tree, he pressed his back to it, breathing heavily as he planned his next move.

Ginny was too quick, he had only landed the snowball just now because she was obviously getting cold and stiff. Her cheeks were rosy from the exertion and her hair had pulled free from the neat ponytail she had left it in just now. Her lips were pink and-- _Stop it, Potter! That's Ron's sister you're talking about..._ He blushed privately as the snowball rain stopped behind him. He had been unable to keep his mind off her since the incident at the Department of Mysteries. Never had he noticed how self-assured and confident she was, how bravely she had risked her life to rescue Sirius... Sirius, yes that had kept him to himself for now, the pain of seeing his godfather die somehow ate at Harry, the lack of closure seemed ironically fitting for someone so exuberant as Sirius, as if he might just reappear around the corner one day. But no, he was gone and Harry knew it. He would just have to make do with the happy memories that he had. True, he had been shattered for awhile, but even through the haze of loss, somehow the image of Ginny Weasley still managed to permeate his protective shell and convince him to go to the Burrow this Christmas.

_Thwack!_ a very compressed snowball collided with Harry's cheek, sending him spinning as he fell to the ground. He quickly tried to recover, slipping and sliding as the soft snow gave before his comically-wheeling feet. Ginny watched from a branch in a nearby tree, clutching her stomach as she tried to keep her balance and laugh at the same time. Leaping nimbly off the tree, Ginny spun in a graceful twirl before landing on bent knees. Sticking her tongue out in the classic comedy response, Ginny gave a quick wave before dashing across the field to where she could prepare her next attack. Wrinkling his nose in the indignity of the act, Harry picked his sore body up and made for cover once more. He needed a better ploy... one that he would at least have a chance at. _Hmm..._ He stepped out from behind the tree and strode quickly into the center of the field.

"Weasley!" he cried out, "It's time to finish it once and for all, man versus man!"

"Don't you mean man versus woman, Potter?" she laughingly said, ducking out from behind a bush, causing Harry to blush once more as his angelised vision of her wiped all thoughts from his mind. Putting on a straight face again, he watched as she approached, teasingly swaying her hips as she sashayed towards him. Feeling his throat constrict, Harry quickly ducked down and collected a snowball in his mittened hands, trying to keep his mind off his best friend's younger sister. _Just imagine what he'd do to you..._ Resolve strengthened, Harry straightened to face Ginny across a meter of clear snow. Bowing slightly, they comically raised their weapons and saluted in a parody of a wizard's duel. Turning sharply, they stalked back three meters each before spinning to face their opponent. With a sly smile, Harry used his Quidditch speed to snap a throw off, letting the snowball fly with a practiced flick.

_Thump!_ Ginny's snowball rocketed into him, knocking him back a step. Dramatically, he fell to his knees, arms wrapped protectively across his chest.

"That one had a rock in it, woman!" Harry cried, peeking out of the corner of his eye to see Ginny rushing towards him, concern etched on her face.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, Harry-- I didn't intend to do that! Did I really hurt you?" she gushed, crouching over his prostrate form. She looked beautiful as she worriedly turned him over, checking for serious damage.

"Nope! Gotcha!" Harry shouted gleefully as he sprang up and pressed a handful of snow into Ginny's hair. Soon, they were tumbling on the ground, each trying to get at the other. The tangled mass of arms and legs and heads spun round and round in a deadlock, Harry's fear to hurt her matching her weaker strength. Finally, Ginny squealed and lay exhaustedly on the ground, Harry landing on top of her as centrifugal force pulled him down. Ginny's breath was knocked out of her as Harry's weight and gravity re-asserted themselves. 

Ginny didn't want to move. Although the cold snow was seeping into her jumper, and a chill wind was cradling her arms, the warmth and comfort that Harry represented was much more alluring. Ginny couldn't help but giggle at the compromising position and wondered what her mother would think of this. As Harry began to ease off her, moving his weight to his elbows, something made Ginny reach out to stop him. Perhaps it was the closeness of it all; or that she could see every strand off unruly hair on his head, the firm curve of his chin, the strong arch of his nose, his eyebrows and lips. More importantly, she could see his emotions in his brilliantly emerald-green eyes. The laughter of the moment dancing gaily. The sadness and tiredness of the war effort. The underlying misery of Sirius' death... and... was that a trace of longing? _Oh lord, it couldn't be... not after all this time I've thought I was alone..._ As if confirming her thoughts, Harry started to speak instead of rolling off.

"Ginny... I-- I don't know how to say this, but I-- I really love you... a lot." the strangled expression seemed to lift as he got the first statement off his chest, he continued, "Ever since that day at the ministry... well perhaps before that, I've been thinking about you. This whole year, every time I've seen you in the corridors or in the common room, I've remembered how readily you came with us, actually how you insisted on coming... I just really admire your strength, humor and courage, Ginny... You're different from other girls... you're as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside, and that's saying something--" He was cut off as Ginny placed a finger to his lips to stop his rambling.

She couldn't believe what was happening... the one boy whom she truly loved actually loved her in return! She remembered noticing some odd looks he had given her, but never before had she placed them specifically- she had always known it had something to do with the Department of Mysteries but she had always thought it was sadness or shared comradeship... Never in her wildest dreams... well perhaps just one or two of them... 

Harry couldn't believe what he had just dared to do. For nearly half a year he had held it in, in Hogwarts, on the train, when he stayed at the Burrow during the holidays... not once had he dared to say a word. True, he had trusted her enough to confide in her, together with Ron and Hermione, as to the contents of the Prophecy, but that had merely brought them closer together as friends, nothing had been this drastic. He nearly panicked as she placed the finger to his lips, but he realised he was rambling and quickly stopped, dreading that she would ask him to get off and stop joking. He couldn't have helped himself! She looked so captivating as she lay upon the ground, with him merely inches away...

Her beautiful scarlet hair was splayed out in the snow, framing her face; her eyelashes perfectly done to draw attention to her large brown baby-doe eyes...Her petite nose and her small mouth (Ron would be happy to note) perfectly centered, while the sprinkle of white snow contrasted wonderfully with her vibrant hair; mirrored softly in the light dusting of freckles on her perfect skin. But it wasn't just that, the intelligence and fire clear in her eyes drew him to her, how anyone could hole that much spirit in so small a package Harry didn't know, but he was willing to spend the rest of his lifetime finding out. Now her lips were a different story... they were as much of a giveaway of her mood as Ron's neck and ears were. If she were angry, you could cut yourself on the thin line of her lips; if she were sad, they just made Harry want to go over and stop her feeling that miserable ever again; if she were cold, no one, not even Malfoy, would dare cross her with her lips set like professor McGonagall's; but like now, Harry suddenly realised, her mouth was slightly open, the edges of her lips curled up, and Harry could have cried with joy to see that she was as happy as he.

_She still likes me!_ he thought with relief _No,_ another voice said _she loves you now, this is no longer a petulant child going after her idol, this is a young woman following the man she loves. You don't have so many chances this time..._ Silently promising to himself never to needlessly hurt her, Harry licked his lips self consciously, seeing the question in her eyes.

To put it simply, it was perfect. As Ginny leaned up awkwardly, Harry leaned down to relieve her, claiming the soft curve of her lips as they kissed for the first time. This was no cold kiss between relatives, nor the warmth of a parent or grandparent, nor the familiarity between friends; but this wasn't the consuming passion of lust either. This was simple, pure, pristine, unadulterated feelings distilled into an instant as they met their soul mates. The warm, gentle, rush of emotion and feeling; the tenderness and the ignition of passion-- all the things which celebrated the simple joy of being together... and they couldn't have thought of doing it any other way. 

What seemed like an eternity later, they both slowly broke the kiss, pulling back and sighing contentedly, all traces of nervousness gone. Ginny could still feel the way his lips and body had molded into hers, the perfection with which they matched. The lingering taste of him on her lips was tantalizing, but she knew that they had to move slowly still, in order to make a strong foundation on which their relationship would stand. Regretfully, she placed a hand on his chest, and he obliged by getting his weight off her, straddling her knees instead.

"Well, Harry... I love you too." the simplicity of the words brought unshed tears to Harry's eyes, Ginny continued, her normal fire bringing her back from their dreamland, "I want to stay here all day, but the snow is freezing me... besides-- looks like my brother saw what we were doing..." Ginny grinned apologetically as Harry smiled, stood and held out a hand to help her up. As he helped her brush the snow off her clothes, she couldn't but smile happily at her good fortune. The couple turned to face Ron and Hermione who reached the Quidditch pitch at the same time.

"Potter! What do you think you're doing with my younger sister?" Ron roared, outrage clearly in his eyes as Hermione tried to soothe him with a reassuring hand. As Ginny was about to return the tirade, Harry placed a hand in the small of her back and murmured soothingly in her ear.

"Well, Ron..." Harry began, hoping his suspicion was true, "What were you doing with Hermione that's made her so red in the face? She's _virtually_ my sister..." Harry raised his eyebrows and stared pointedly at his best friends' interlocking hands. Hermione blushed prettily at his words, both at the depth of his feeling and at being caught in the act. Ron seemed to deflate like a punctured balloon, redness also creeping up his ears, but soon regained some of his mettle and placed his arm gingerly around Hermione's shoulders, making her blush deeper, but not move away,

"Well... I guess it's alright..." Ron stuttered, before rallying quickly, "After all, Hermione and I won't have to be grossed out by you two snogging all the time because we'll be doing it ourselves!" At that, everyone burst out laughing, and the conversation was lost for the next minute as everyone tried to regain some semblance of dignity. As the quartet walked back to the house, Hermione and Ron ahead, each smiling happily; Harry and Ginny behind, savoring a private moment, they all remembered that even on this tiny break in the war, they could be kids once more and be-- Carefree. 

_A/N: A wonderful and rewarding story to write, brought me far away from the tragedy I'm so used to creating. I enjoyed rewarding our protaganists with a break from all the drama and sadness. A nice rest after writing Dear Diary. Thanks for reading, now review :)_

Copyright © Geoffrey Lim 2006 

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.

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